Faithful reproduction of the original World War I US Military sidearm!

As the years go by, I’m more attracted to the vintage firearm designs made of walnut and steel. Weapons of my grandfather’s time are still up to the task. Adjustable sights, extended beavertail grip safeties and 3.5-pound triggers don’t necessarily make a better service pistol. Stock guns are cool again. And a standout stock .45 in the crowded field of 1911s is the WWI (World War I) replica from Colt. It is one of the nicest Colts to come out of the factory in a generation.

This isn’t Colt’s first attempt to recreate a gun from its past. A WWII (World War II) reproduction was produced several years ago that wasn’t up to the standards of what shooters expected from Colt. There were problems with the finish (Colt couldn’t get the outsourced parkerizing of the slide and frame to match or keep the finish from flaking) and the historical correctness of some of the parts was incorrect.

Colt couldn’t replicate the WWII triggers anymore (standard short, grooved commercial triggers were installed) and didn’t include the “US PROPERTY” markings on the gun until halfway through the production run. The guns were nice shooters and looked okay, but quality and authenticity were somewhat lacking. About 4,000 guns were produced before the WWII replica was discontinued.